Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said her country may have to build a fence to keep migrants from flooding in, a tactic already tried by Hungary, according to an article Wednesday in the Jutarnji List newspaper.

"I would like to avoid that, but I don't see how else we can protect ourselves," said Grabar-Kitarovic, a conservative whose role is largely ceremonial.

Croatia's liberal government has previously said it will not build a fence.

More than 170,000 refugees passed through Croatia since mid-September, many of them on their way to affluent European countries such as Germany, which is welcoming migrants.

The flow into Croatia began when neighboring Hungary sealed its border with Serbia to prevent refugees and migrants from entering illegally. Hungary is also building another fence along its border with Croatia.

In Germany, police and city officials said more police officers and teachers are needed immediately to help deal with the huge influx of refugees. Germany is expecting at least 800,000 migrants this year.

Meanwhile Britain's interior ministry criticized one of its contractors Wednesday for apparently using a Hummer stretch limousine to transport seven asylum-seekers about 200 miles from London to Manchester at a cost of around $4,600.

The contractor, Serco, apologized and said the incident happened only once in July and that there was no additional cost to taxpayers. The ministry says Serco bears the cost of transporting asylum-seekers.